Ar-Community..... ya' gotta say it like a pirate.... after all, it's OUR COMMUNITY.

November 2009

11/30/2009

You might remember Chris from this summer's "farmer and wife" pic. (Sub in the rake for the pitchfork, smiles for frowns and fun loving hedonism for strict Amish observance.)

You might also remember that Chris busted up a few discs and went in for a spinal fusion. His spine doesn't really look like this, but you can get the idea....

So, how is it going?

Chris is on his feet and working full days at the SHOP! He is faithfully completing his his home exercise program and seems to be progressing at a fairly rapid rate. (With an occasional "OUCH" day mixed in.)When he's not joshing around with customers or regaling the staff with his stories, you can find him mounting tele gear and feverishly composing kayak orders.

We're happy to have him back and want to thank all of you who have supported him!

11/23/2009

"The Atlas 12.25 is one awesome shoe for the price. It comes with a sweet 'one-pull' binding system that is easy to adjust with mittens. When viewing the shoe from the underside one is immediately struck by the evil smile that the toothy fixed crampons form. It makes a person think about bashing ice, crawling up mountainsides and howling arctic gales...... Yeah.. hmmmmm...

The frame of the shoe is now built with oval construction in the load bearing area of the shoe. (From the ball of the foot to the heel.) This construction, borrowed from bicycle chain-stays, significantly increases the strength of the shoe along the load bearing axis. In addition, it limits the torsional flex of the shoe when powering off of rocks and other snowshoe destroying obstacles.

The Atlas includes a heel lift for long uphill slogs through deep snow. It is a simple solution to Achilles tendinitis and a welcome addition to the Atlas mountaineering design.

The best part of the shoe is the redundancy built into the binding system.

As a person who breaks just about every piece of outdoor equipment ever owned, I really appreciate the double attachment point of the binding system. Blow a strap out on most other snowshoes and it becomes an opportunity to imitate the Frank Zappa Dancing Fool. (Uh oh... Zappa references.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trqfeg-5Duo ) The Atlas allows a person to carefully hike out. Cool!

Improvements? Really not all that much can be improved. The weight is comparable to other snowshoes in this category. The rivets seem improved this year and are easily replaced if they break. I even dig the color. (Tough to miss outside the tent even when half buried by an overnight snowfall....)

4.5/5 Arcadian Pine Trees granted... only because I feel like being tough this morning!"

11/19/2009

Lezyne is an up and coming company that runs off the motto "engineered design". It shows in their product! Producing multi tools, c02 inflators, mini pumps, floor pumps and other goodies the product line has something for everyone.

I was hoping that the floor pump could inflate tires to perfect riding pressure simply with its good looks.

You do have to pump it.

The head is a thread on style and to change from presta to schrader, you simply unthread, flip, and thread other side. Pumping action is very smooth and easy. The gauge is acurate and easy to read.

The verdict: If you are a tech geek, need the newest bits and pieces or just like shiny tools (That work great!) Lezyne has something to offer you."

11/16/2009

The Nordic Fest recovery period happens today. Staff members scurry about the Shop swiping sale stickers from the racks while attempting to organize the sweaters. Today's review may be pushed off to Thursday. Jay will be sharing his take on a new line of bike pumps. (They look pretty sweet!)